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THE
MASTER OF THE PINCH SHOT
By Kelvin Sampson, Indiana
It began in 1959 and forty-five years and 633 wins
later it has come to a conclusion. One of the best,
Hugh Durham decided to call it a career.
It is almost impossible to encapsulate his entire
career into one column. I would need a lot of paper
and a publisher to really do the man justice. To state
that he was a great coach only begins to tell the Hugh
Durham story, as he was much more than just a teacher
of the game.
I was fortunate enough to meet coach Durham, while I
was coaching at Washington State. What immediately
struck me was his willingness to reach out to all the
young coaches, like myself.
Ours is a very demanding profession, which often does
not allow a lot of time for family and friends, let
alone young aspiring coaches. But Hugh always found
time for everything. To use a coaching expression,
Hugh always had great spacing.
In all walks of life, some like to address the next
generation to satisfy their own egos and further their
own cause, but not Hugh. He only sought to satisfy an
appetite for basketball and to further the careers of
others. And he was always committed to doing the right
thing.
For all of his success on the court, coach Durham
never sought out attention and personal accolades.
He’s a product of a generation that emphasized
teaching and the molding of tomorrow’s leaders.
Seeking attention just never fit into the Hugh Durham
equation.
His quiet and reserved demeanor is the biggest reason
that most college basketball fans only know the name
and not the accomplishments. Not many are aware that
Hugh coached two different programs to the Final Four,
taking Florida State and Georgia.
It’s a feat that eleven other coaches can put on their
resume, but only coach Durham can lay claim to taking
two programs that had never previously been on college
basketball’s biggest stage. But those treks to the
Final Four could have easily never happened.
Interestingly enough, Hugh nearly chose a different
path.
When Hugh graduated from Eastern High (Louisville,
Kentucky), in 1955, he had a football scholarship to
play at the University of Kentucky. At that time, UK
was a football power. The legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant
had led them to three straight bowl games, including
an Orange Bowl win over Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma
Sooners.
Despite his tremendous success, coach Bryant left the
Blue Grass State for greener pastures. He joked that
while coach Adolph Rupp was given a Cadillac, he
received a cigarette lighter for his successes on the
football field.
Blanton Collier succeeded Bryant and recruited Hugh as
a halfback. He had actually signed a letter-of-intent
to play college football for the Wildcats. Fortunately
for the game of college basketball, Hugh would later
change his mind, opting for Florida State and a career
in basketball.
But basketball and football were not the only sports
in which coach Durham excelled. Twenty-five years
after passing on football, Hugh was a dominating force
on the court. Not the basketball court, but the
racquetball court.
He will downplay it, but the fact is that he was
actually one of the top-ranked racquetball players in
America. It was something that I learned the hard way.
I ran into to Hugh on the recruiting trail and noticed
that he had his racquet with him. Being a young and
somewhat naive coach, I assumed that he just enjoyed a
good workout. As I would soon find out, it was me who
got the workout.
He was the master of the “pinch shot” and he literally
ran me ragged. I felt like I was on the auto bond,
racing around trying to return his serve. That was
over twenty years ago, but I sure wouldn’t look
forward to stepping onto the court against him today.
He may be sixty-seven years of age, but I am quite
certain that he is still sneaky quick.
Unfortunately our paths didn’t cross nearly as much on
the basketball court. Given his success on the smaller
court, that is probably a good thing.
One of the great coaches of our time, coach Durham’s
success on the court is comparable to any, but his
true legacy is what he did for so many. From the
hundreds of young men who came through his programs to
the countless number of coaches he took the time to
visit with.
Everyone that crossed his path, over the past
forty-five years, is better for it.
CollegeInsider.com has already contacted Jacksonville
University about naming one of its postseason awards
after coach Durham. That is an outstanding idea. And I
will certainly be a part of any committee that selects
a recipient of the Hugh Durham Award.
The fabric that is Hugh Durham isn’t easily found. The
game will certainly miss him.
Be sure to visit Coach Sampson's official website,
KelvinSampson.com, which is maintained by
CollegeInsider.com. |
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